


Leader of the Pants

by CatrinaSL



Series: A Simple Device [67]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Arguing, Dragon Age References, F/M, Pants, SHIP DARCY WITH ALL THE THINGS, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 06:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7349986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy helps the Avengers solve a leadership issue, then helps her Soulmate with his pants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leader of the Pants

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arysani](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arysani/gifts).



> This fic is dedicated to arysani, who dropped a pile of Alistair quotes on my prompts list. (Alistair = ♥)
> 
> Soulmate AU Reminder: Everyone has a Soulmark, a tattoo of the first words their Soulmate will say to them. Showing someone else your Soulmark is like baring your soul to them, so most people only show their Soulmate or very trusted friends.

Darcy didn't expect that she'd be meeting the Avengers for the first time in the middle of an argument. Thor introduced them around, Jane and Darcy waved, and then Stark and Rogers went right back to it.

At first she was a little offended, but then she realized that this state of conflict must be normal for them. Who else, in the absence of bad guys, was there for them to pick on, aside from each other?

Banner looked annoyed by the interruption, Romanov looked like she'd rather be somewhere else, and Barton looked like he had no intention of taking sides. Thor chimed in occasionally, just to keep the bickering going, Darcy thought. But by the third time he did, Darcy was done.

"We all have our strengths," Thor was saying. "Perhaps we should defer to the Captain on matters of strategy and yourself for matters of..."

"Of what, Thor?" Stark wanted to know.

"Of..." Thor attempted to continue.

"You could see if anyone else is interested in leading instead of just scratching at each other about it," Darcy suggested.

It was obvious that neither Stark nor Rogers knew quite how they should respond to that.

So Darcy took a poll.

"No, thank you," Banner said when she offered him the job.

"It would be like herding cats," Romanov told her when Darcy looked to her. Then she eyed Tony and Steve and added, "big, annoying, smelly cats."

So Darcy pointed at Barton where he was perched on top of a bookshelf.

He seemed baffled that she had considered him. "What? Lead? Me?" he babbled, shaking his head. "No, no, no. No leading. Bad things happen when I lead. We get lost, people die, and the next thing you know I'm stranded somewhere without any pants."

Darcy looked up at him for a moment, then turned to the source of the problem. "You all use your individual strengths to benefit the team,” she said. “Working together is your best bet."

Stark and Rogers started talking at once; she held up her hand and let Captain America go first.

"We have to have a leader. Otherwise we'll have to stop and have this conversation when we should be saving people."

"Yeah," Stark chimed. "Somebody has to give orders during a fight."

"Oh," Darcy said. "Then Steve. Steve's the leader."

Tony whined, but Thor clapped her on the back and congratulated her on a job well done. Natasha rolled her eyes and walked out, and Jane got Tony and Bruce to give her a tour of the labs.

Darcy was left alone with her Soulmate.

"I guess we know now who's really in charge around here," he said as he jumped down from his vantage point.

"You say 'bossy,' I say 'problem solver,'" she replied.

He pointed at her, looking around for a witness to confirm the Words she had said to him. "You're... are you...?"

Darcy grinned. "Now I think we should discuss this thing you have with your pants."

**Author's Note:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/146755951858/leader-of-the-pants)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


End file.
